RHS soccer trio stay together

And on Wednesday Aaron Froehlich, Nate Kramme and Hunter Short made that dream come true.

The all-state trio from the Rolla High School boys' soccer team stayed true to the commitment they made back in the fall and signed a national letter of intent to attend and play soccer at William Jewell College, a NCAA Division II program located in Liberty, Mo.

They are three of the winningest and most decorated players in Rolla High boys' soccer history, helping lead RHS to the Missouri Class 2 Quarterfinals as juniors and this past season a 24-3 overall record.

In addition to re-writing the RHS goal-scoring records, Froehlich set the Missouri boys' prep career goal-scoring record as a senior, was named the Missouri Class 2 Offensive Player of the Year and selected to the National soccer Coaches Association of America All-Midwest Region V Team.

A three-time all-state selection, Froehlich finished his Bulldog career with 182 goals to set the state mark, including 68 in 2013.

Kramme, a two-time all-stater, is perhaps the most dynamic defender in Bulldog soccer history. He finished with two goals and seven assists and was a major cog in a RHS defense that produced 14 shutouts.

Short, an all-stater as a senior, set the RHS career and single-season marks in assists with 68 and 33 respectively.

In addition to playing together for RHS, the trio also were teammates at the youth feeder level for the Rolla Knights and in recent years stayed together in the off-season as teammates with the St. Louis Scott Gallagher Club squad. To no one's surprise, the three plan to room together at William Jewell.

"It's a dream come true," Kramme said of playing collegiate soccer together. "We all talked about it since we were little kids. The three of us have played together since the fourth grade."

They did consider other options as individuals. Froehlich looked at Dayton, Missouri-St. Louis and Rockhurst before deciding on William Jewell, which plays in the rugged Great Lakes Valley Conference - one of the nation's most demanding Division II soccer leagues.

Kramme looked into the University of Colorado, Missouri-St. Louis and Rockhurst while Short seriously considered staying home and playing at Missouri S&T.

"(William Jewell) is a really good school and it's a great conference," Froehlich said. "And they gave really good offers to all three of us."

"I knew they're all real close and this is an opportunity for them to play together at a high level," said RHS head coach Mike Howard. "The GLVC is the best Division II soccer conference in the nation. There are some tremendous teams in the GLVC - that will be fun for them."

Howard feels that all three of his standouts could contribute immediately to the William Jewell Cardinals.

"Nate has got the size and strength and could probably step in and contribute for them right now," Howard said. "Hunter and Aaron, being attacking players, probably skill-wise they're already there. The physical part will be the hardest thing for them to adjust to."